This is a totally subjective, unscientific (no numbers were involved in the decision process) list of my favorite blogs. I enjoy reading about the other ministries and the thoughts of ministry leaders. Each of the blogs on this list are ones that I read frequently and would encourage you to do the same.

ORANGE PARENTS
Together, Reggie Joiner and Carey Nieuwhof wrote the book Parenting Beyond your Capacity, published by David C. Cook 2010, to remind parents that they don’t have to parent alone. Please join Reggie, Carey, and others as they continue the conversation in this blog and expand on the concepts of their book.

JIM WIDEMAN
Welcome to jimwideman.com the internet home of Jim Wideman Ministries, Inc.
Jim has a burning desire to help others on their leadership journey. Jim Wideman Ministries was established in 1983 to provide practical, proven resources for Children’s Ministers.

KIDOLOGIST by KARL BASTIAN
Karl’s Mission Statement: To Reach and Teach as many children as possible with the Good News of God’s Love, and in the process to Enlist, Equip and Encourage others to do the same

GROWING KIDS MINISTRY
Growing Kids Ministry: A place to share stories, resources and ideas. Children’s Ministry Workers, let’s grow together. “Growing Kids Ministry” can mean so many things.

ELEMENTAL CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
Long gone are the days of cookie cutter ministry. We need to innovate and adjust. It’s only when we grate against each others’ ideas that we can help children and families discover God’s story and how they can find their place in that story. Come join the conversation as we try to figure out what this children’s ministry thing is all about.

RYAN FRANK
Ryan Frank is the children’s pastor at Liberty Baptist Church in Sweetser, Indiana. He is the creator of KidzMatter Inc. and the publisher of K! Magazine. Ryan also serves on the board of directors for the International Network of Children’s Ministry and the American Children’s Ministers’ Association.

CM EDGE
CM Edge isn’t just another children’s ministry podcast. We are a diverse group of people who love what we do and love talking about it! Some of us are children’s pastors and others of us aren’t. What we do have in common is our desire to advance God’s Kingdom.

GINA MCCLAIN
I follow Christ, develop People, equip Teams, and empower Parents.
I’m the wife of Kyle, mom of Keegan, Josie & Connor, and lover of coffee.
I read profusely, blog transparently, and put my foot in my mouth regularly.

KID INSPIRATION BY DAVE WAKERLY
David and his wife Beci Wakerley are Children’s Pastors in Sydney, Australia. David writes most of the words contained here at this blog including this little Bio which he is writing in the third person, otherwise it would get rather confusing.

SAM LUCE
My name is Sam Luce and I have been the children’s pastor at Redeemer Church in Utica NY for the past 13 years. I am passionate about empowering the local church to effectively communicate the gospel to kids and minister to families. When I am not working I love spending time with my beautiful wife and three kids.

I wrote this week about the influences that bombard our kids continually.  Television, Video Games, and the Internet top the list.  One of our goals as a ministry is to actively encourage parents to use the thousands of hours they have with their children to impart a Biblical legacy.  Take a look at this video and you’ll see what I mean.

Have you ever read Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins?  If you haven’t I would highly recommend that you do.  As leaders in ministry we should always be reading material that is outside the narrow field in which we work. Built to Last is a classic business study of what makes great companies great. I don’t know about you but one of my goals is for our church and our Children’s Ministry to be great. Not simply to be recognized as great but to be a ministry that has lasting kingdom influence for generations.

Children’s Ministries in general have a well defined target of influence…children and their parents.  Two of the major influences in the lives of kids today include the Disney Company and Nickelodeon.  Born in the 1990′s, Nickelodeon has grown so large that half of all kids watching commercial television at any moment are watching Nickelodeon.

The average American kid is watching 27 hours of television a week according to the latest data from the Nielsen Company. That’s huge!  We are trying to reach those same kids with an average of 40 hours of influence a YEAR!  In my mind that places a priority on every minute we have with our kids.  The very best way we can leverage those hours of influence is to engage our parents outside of Sunday with the message and give them the tools they need.

So what’s a BHAG? A Big Hairy Audacious Goal!  It’s been said if we can accomplish our vision with our own intelligence, strength and resources then our vision is too small.  My BHAG is to make contact with and increase our influence on the approximately 20,000 children that live within a few miles of church facility.

How are we going to accomplish our goal?  Prayer – Planning – Preparation – Persistence.  This will include recruiting, building, contacting schools, and more.  Our vision as a ministry is “Connecting Kids and Parents to Jesus to Rescue the Next Generation.”  My prayer is we use every available resource to make this BHAG a reality.

Chick-fil-A is one of my favorite fast food places to eat and Tim Hawkins is one of the funniest guys around.  Today I just wanted to take a minute to share both with you and hopefully get you to smile!